Structural Engineer: The WALL is busted!

Fascinating read analyzing the flaws in Trump’s wall(s). President-expert-on-everything-in-Chief hasn’t addressed any engineering or environmental issues, and there are many, not to mention technology that will make the wall obsolete before it is finished. The WALL is busted!

10. Wow, amazing that is your take away. nt

20. What should my takeaway be? Validation that my current position is reinforced by the Facebook rant

of a wall expert? This is just more feel-good that you are on the right side of the issue. Was there something in this post that was relevatory for you? Eco impact, check. Can build a ladder to get over it, check. It will cost more that estimated, check.

She forgot the incalculable costs associated with eminent domain land grabs. But we should probably wait for the Facebook post blowing crater sized holes in the wall from a real estate agent for that. But only if that agent repeats several times that they have sold property before. Because when folks need land sellin', they call them in. Maybe tomorrow.

24. OK. I'm a member of the general public and I'm thinking I'm the target audience.

26. i am sorry if I offended.

My point is that her engineering background has no relevance to what she is saying. Anyone could have said that and we would have all said "yes, that's right" Eco, Costs, ladder, etc etc. how about a general contractor? Maybe an front loader or grader operator? They understand flooding, cost overruns, environmental impact.

Which point changed your mind? Or does it just make us feel better because of the engineering background - "Now our wall argument has merit because an engineer says so." This just reinforces what we already think. Those points matter not to those opposed - most certainly not because she has a forensic structural background. Were we worried about the wall falling down?
I think you underestimate the general public who do realize that the impact would/could be significant on many, many levels not the least of which were cost/overruns and the eco-system of the border lands/waters. The folks who want the wall don't care. At all.

30. Scientist Here, JDC

I had the same initial concerns, but went "general public" as others mentioned.
The one piece in her article that was not necessarily obvious is WHY the cost would grossly overrun.
And if this WAS written for the average person, then I think she did well.

25. lol

22. You're not the only one.

Overall, I thought it was an interesting piece with plenty of good points, but the 'it messes with" stuck out like a sore thumb to me. I don't think I could have gotten away with that in a junior high paper. Then again, I'm old.

29. Yes, structural issues also matter. :) If you were going to stop

a bigoted neighbor from building a giant spite fence would you rather try by presenting accusations of bigotry to the city council or would it be helpful to point to text and/or intent of building codes it would violate?

I loved hearing Nancy Pelosi state right out that it was a moral issue, but that's hardly the only issue. It's not even the only important one. Happily, there are many. So many even a Republican-controlled congress with a wall-ranting electoral base wouldn't pass it.

23. Even though you are a racist it should not mean you lack COMMON SENSE. nt

33. "Border Walls Get Teched Out"

Another article from the engineering.com website linked in this article. This is just technology available right now, not what's coming, but frankly the "invisible wall" is potentially a lot scarier than one we can climb over. We must get liberals and others devoted to the rights of the people in control of government.

"And, more than almost any border wall before it, the new border replaces on-the-scene manpower with surveillance devices like underground motion sensors, remote-operated cameras, long-range radar towers, aerostats (balloons and blimps) and drones.

Currently, there are more than 12,000 remote sensors buried along the border and three radar-enabled towers that can track people from up to 7 miles away. Both systems are linked with centralized cameras, so that any disturbances can be monitored by Border Patrol agents in a centralized location. Agents should be able to pick up on disturbances, monitor them for their level of “threat,” and only leave their locations to deal with actual attempted border-crossings. CBP also has a small fleet of Predator drones that enable the agency to photograph huge swathes of the border from the air.

Remote sensors are particularly useful in the Rio Grande Valley section of the border, where protected natural parks prevent border agents from clearing dense foliage around the border. Manuel Padilla Jr., the Border Patrol sector chief for the area, told the New York Times that more sensors are necessary to secure the area: “In the absence of being able to get in there, we need to be able to see what’s going on so we can catch drug trafficking and other activity before those who are doing it reach cities in the region.”

As heavy-tech as the areas between crossings are, the “invisible wall” becomes even stronger at the areas around authorized crossings. At crossover points like the one in Hidalgo, Texas, automatic license plate readers (ALPRs) take photos of the license plates, cars and drivers of border-crossing cars, which are then run through a database that holds information about criminal records and immigration law violations. Even if the search doesn’t trigger an alert, the information the ALPR collects is stored in the database, giving Border Patrol officials a complete record of who has crossed the border, and when.

But perhaps the most advanced use of border security technology may be used far away from the border: the use of biometric information at airports. U.S. Customs and Border Protection’s Biometric Air Exit program takes travelers' biometric information as they leave the United States by air. In 2004, CBP developed a program that uses fingerprints for biometric identification, and it’s currently developing and expanding a facial recognition program. These programs are implemented in partnership with airlines. And the Goodlatte-McCaul bill, which is currently making its way through Congress, would expand the use of biometric information even further, allowing CBP to take biometric information from everyone leaving the U.S.

At the 2016 Annual Border Security Expo in San Antonio, FLIR Systems sales rep Bryan Block jokingly told VICE, “I'd tell Mr. Trump we can build him a wall—a radar wall, of 360-degree radar surveillance.” Today, that invisible wall is looking less and less like a joke.